


Anger Management

by ThymeSprite



Series: Nagging the Avengers [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spoilers, Asgardian Magic, F/M, Protective Thor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 12:45:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4829645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThymeSprite/pseuds/ThymeSprite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olive Haynes has always had some issues with her anger, but Thor really brings it to boiling point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anger Management

“Get ready, mission prep in ten.”, Tony called out and Olive grumbled to herself. She was supposed to read the paperwork on the mission, it was six in the morning, she had not even had coffee yet and that jerk was already bossing her around? She snarled quietly to herself, but then decided that it just would not do to whack him over the head in front of the others, so she instead settled for breakfast, at least something to take the edge of the morning.

She wanted some action, but that would have to wait. So she made her way to the kitchen, thinking that there would be just enough time to eat something and get coffee before the briefing would start. Olive made her way to the cupboard, opened it… and then slammed the door shut, startling the former SHIELD agents scattered around and ready to work for Tony now.

“Which idiot…”, Olive snarled as she rounded on them, “…has eaten the last of the pop tarts and dared to not replace the boxes?”

She saw a few of the former Agents trying to slink off, but she called them back: “Oi, Peters, Jackson! Any ideas you’d like to share? Now?”

“Uhm…”, Jackson gulped, then he shyly gestured towards the table. As soon as Olive had turned in that direction, the two of them were gone, but she had found the culprit. Thor. Of course, who else?

She stormed over to him and grabbed the box…empty. Thor then innocently as always looked up at her and popped the last bit of a pop tart into his mouth. That jerk.

“Explanations?”, Olive suggested, “Any excuses?”

“What are you referring to, Lady…?”, he began, but she cut him off, “Can it, Thunder. Whatever makes you think you can eat all the pop tarts and not stock up again?”

“I am a God.”, he offered as an explanation with a cheeky grin and stood up, then just walked past her. Well, he could try. Olive quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, but as he was about to drag her along, she had to pull a trick from her sleeve. With a skilled movement of her fingers, she applied pressure to specific points in his arm and she felt him wince. Alright, so he had a biceps like she had thighs, but hey, pressure points worked even on Asgardians. Who’d have thunk?

“What is the meaning of this?”, he asked, strangely calm and with an amused smile, while Olive was fuming. For good measure, she intensified the pressure on his arm as she snarled: “Stock up on all the stuff you eat. That was supposed to be my breakfast. And trust me, you do not want to see my hungry.”

“I think I am just seeing you hungry right now.”, he grinned, then leaned back to the table and handed her an apple, “Here, take this. It should quench your hunger and your thirst.”

With that he easily freed his arm and left. Olive narrowed her eyes at him and more felt than heard the remaining Agents flee the premises. She slammed the apple on the table, determined not to eat it, simply because Thor had given it to her, then she got a bag of marshmallows and a cup of coffee before walking over to the briefing room. When she entered, everyone else was already there, but she merely sat down and sipped her coffee.

“How nice of you to join us.”, Tony muttered in her direction, a grin on his face that Olive wanted to wipe off with her fist, but instead she jerked her head at Thor, “Thank him for my glorious entrance.”

“I’m not gonna ask.”, Tony replied and she nodded, “Good. Then stop wasting time, my contact won’t hang around too long, it’ll make him think it’s a trap.”

For a moment, he glared at her, but he was the only one. Thor simply frowned and the rest of the former Agents, now Stark’s security, simply kept silent as if to blend in with the air and vanish. Yeah, Olive was used to that.

She held Tony’s gaze and at some point he shook his head, like a wet dog, then began the briefing. She knew all of that, of course, she had spent the last five weeks trying to find Damian, her contact and to convince him that she had broken off all ties with SHIELD. Dammit, she was a merc at heart.

“So, everyone clear on your parts?”, Tony asked, “You send the lovely Ms. Haynes in with, let’s say, one bodyguard, she’ll try to make the deal. And as soon as we have the weapon, we bust their asses for weapons dealing. Got it?”

“What is my part in this?”, Thor enquired and Olive glanced at him, “You’re my guard dog.”

He frowned at this, then smiled, “Shall I bark for you to scare them off?”

“No, that’ll only make them laugh, probably.”, Olive mused, “I’ll sic you on them if need be.”

He was clearly not amused by this, but it made her feel better, a lot.

“Alright…”, Tony muttered and then added to close the meeting, “You go in, you let her make the deal. If it all goes sideways, get our girl out.”

“No.”, Olive snapped, “You let me make the deal. I can take care of myself. Dismissed.”

With that she got up and stormed out, ignoring Tony’s protest on purpose and she grinned for a moment in grim satisfaction when she heard his security scramble out of the room after her. Power was a good thing.

“Lady Olive!”, Thor boomed behind her, but she ignored him as well and turned a corner to get to the Quinjet, however, Thor easily caught up with her, “I do not think this plan of action wise.”

“Bust a weapons dealer that has sold dangerous weapons, presumably alien artefacts to the highest bidder?”, she sneered, “I think it’s a good plan.”

“That part is.”, Thor nodded in agreement, “But I do not like the thought of you going in there alone.”

“I won’t be aonle.”, she replied and entered the hangar, “I’ll have a body guard with me and you’ll be outside, just far enough so you’re outta my way.”

“Too far away to protect you.”, he countered and even though she had almost reached the jet, Olive angrily spun around. Dammit, he was tall, she had to look up way higher than she was used to, but she stood her ground and firmly told him: “I can pull my own weight. And I will. Don’t you dare mess this up.”

“I am assigned to this mission to protect you.”, Thor insisted, but she scoffed and turned her back on him. He, however, grabbed her arm to spin her back around and Olive stiffened, then told him in an icy, calm voice, sharp as a blade: “Hands off. And don’t ever do that again.”

Immediately he let go of her as if he had burned his hand on her. Olive merely glared at him, then boarded the jet and told their pilot: “Wheels up as soon as you can.”

“Yes, ma’am.”, the woman replied and Olive strapped in, ignoring the rest of her team for the duration of the flight. It was kind of hard to ignore Thor, though, because he sat next to her and kept pestering her with questions: “Why are you doing this?”

“Stopping a weapons dealer?”, Olive scoffed, “Do I really have to explain that to you? I thought you were a warrior, an Avenger.”

“I am.”, he growled, “But that is not what I meant. Why are you putting your life on the line?”

“Why are you?”, she countered and he sighed, but then ground out, “This is different.”

“How?”, Olive muttered and he sternly replied, “I am a lot less likely to die out there.”

“I am not an idiot.”, she hissed, but Thor gave her a sympathetic smile, “Maybe not. You are, however, merely human.”

What was that supposed to mean? She guessed she did not even want to know exactly.

“So why are you doing this?”, he insisted and Olive scoffed again, then offered, “Being a merc is hard, unsteady work. Stark offered better pay. And dental!”

Thor frowned again, it would almost be cute if he had not been annoying Olive so much. But he got the hint and did not try again, at least something.

When they landed well away from the meeting point, Olive gave last instructions: “Mike, you’re with me as my bodyguard, so lose all the hints that we’re with Stark.”

“Yes, ma’am.”, he said and did as told, so she turned to the rest, “You all stay here. The comms will be on and I will tell you if we need you. You wait for my command.”

“Yes, ma’am.”, they all mumbled, apart from Thor, of course, who asked, “What about me?”

“Do you really think you can waltz in there and Damian still won’t suspect a thing?”, she scoffed, “Not even he is that stupid. Nor you.”

Thor took a deep breath, then conceded: “I will wait for signs of trouble.”

“No, you will wait for my command.”, Olive instructed him, “Are we clear? You might not like it, but I am in command of this mission, got it?”

“Yes…ma’am.”, he replied to her order, mocking the tone of her tactics team. She glared at him, then spun around, gave Mike a once over and nodded as she did not spot anything suspicious left on him and together they left the Quinjet.

“Half a mile through the forest, then in the old barn.”, she instructed and he nodded, “I know. But…don’t you think you were a little, you know…harsh?”

Olive merely glanced at him, but then did not dignify it with a response. Of course she had been harsh, but Thor could take it if he was not the arrogant cry baby he had apparently once been.

“Alright, have it your way…”, Mike mumbled and she grumbled, “Shut up, okay?”

“Yeah, okay, you win.”, he said, but she could hear his grin. They could not walk into an undercover operation like that, so Olive stopped and stared him down.

“Love, you can stare at me all you want, until your black hair turns white or your eyes spit fire, but you won’t scare me.”

“Sucks to have a brother.”, she snarled at him and Mike chuckled, “You can be pretty scary, Sis, so it’s not just rainbows and sunshine with you, either.”

“We postpone this.”, she demanded and he shrugged, “Okay. But don’t rip Thor’s head off, alright? You know, the world and Asgard might need him in one piece.”

“Shut it.”, she grumbled and heard him chuckle, but he mumbled in a seriously worried tone, “You are too angry. Why?”

“We postpone this.”, she muttered, “That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am.”, Mike conceded, but he was none too happy about it. Anyway, Olive could not help him with that and neither did she want to. He did not know the reason for her anger and she could only hope he would never know.

They made their way to the hut in silence and before she opened the door, they exchanged a look, then checked if the comms were on and after an affirmative nod, Mike opened the door for her.

Olive strode in as if she owned the place, but she spotted three thugs at the first glance, one sniper on the upper floor of the now unused barn, two in the shadows behind Damian. She was sure there would be more thugs, he never came unprepared.

“Simone, gorgeous.”, he greeted her and Olive once again had to admit that he was still the good-looking bastard he had always been, “I am disappointed. I had hoped for a date with you alone.”

“Sorry, Damian.”, she smiled, “I’m not sharing you with your body guards.”

He chuckled heartily at that and gestured for the two behind him to step forward. Did he really think she had not yet spotted the sniper?

“With your two friends there’s nothing to fear.”, Olive joked, “Three against two does look bleak for my bodyguard and me.”

“Indeed.”, Damian nodded gravely, but then gave her the slimy smile he thought was charming, “But only if we had to get physical…in the not enjoyable sense of it.”

Olive giggled, even though in her mind she envisioned forcefully removing a part of his anatomy that was obviously very dear to him.

“As much as I’d love the enjoyable sense…”, she began and even licked her lips for good measure, “…I am here on business.”

“Ah…”, Damian sighed, “All work and no play, that’s what life is with you. Gorgeous, you have to let a little light in your life.”

Olive kept her smile on, even though her face was already hurting: “I agree, but my boss will only bring darkness over my life if I worked less.”

“I should have a word with him.”, Damian said with an expression that was probably supposed to suggest honest concern for her well-being, but made Olive wish for disinfectant. Or a minute alone with the guy and a baseball bat in her hands.

“But I do not want anything to happen to you.”, Damian then stated, “So come here and let me show you what I have for you.”

That way of saying it made Olive suspicious, but she nevertheless walked over confidently, but she quickly glanced at the additional thug behind Damian that suddenly emerged from the shadows.

“Oh my, you are nervous.”, he then spoke, again with this mockery of concern, “Does your boss mistreat you?”

“Not if I bring back the merchandise.”, Olive joked, “Let me see it.”

“Are you sure I cannot help you?”, Damian asked and, gosh, even took her hand in his. Olive had to forcefully suppress the urge to pull her hand away and shake the slime off, thinking that he only wanted to help her out of her clothes and into his bed. But instead of bashing his head in, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled: “I am grateful for your concern, Damian. But I’m alright. Please, let me see what you’ve got.”

She had purposefully put it a bit suggestively because she was sure he would catch up on it and like it. Damian never missed an innuendo and sure enough, he grinned, but then thankfully gestured for his thug to display the weapon. He heaved a long box on the table next to Damian and as he propped open the lid, all Olive could see was a box filled with wooden chips…until she saw the staff in it. She had never seen anything like it, but she knew it possessed power. There was no doubt about that.

“A real beauty, is it not?”, Damian smiled and all she could do, honestly, was nod, her breath hitching. She did not have to act that. When Olive found her speech again, she whispered: “What is it?”

“A most wondrous thing.”, Damian praised, “Not from this world. Very durable, I’d say indestructible. It has the power to infuse its bearer with the strength of ten men and the fury of battle.”

Olive glanced at him and he chuckled: “I know it sounds like folklore, but it’s true. I have seen it.”

“I have your word?”, Olive asked breathlessly, even though she cynically thought that his word was worth not even one wood chip in that box.

“My word and my heart, both.”, Damian whispered and, yuck, not only took her hand in his, but also brought it to his lips to press a kiss onto the back of it. Olive was of half a mind to ball her hand into a fist and punch him, but instead she forced herself to smile. When he finally let go of her hand again, Olive reached for the staff in the box.

“No!”, Damian stopped her, grabbing both her hands and instantly Mike was at her side, gun in hand. Well, Damian’s bodyguards were just as quick and she heard the shuffling of not one, but actually two marksmen in the upper floor.

“Easy.”, Damian asked, “Stand down, boys.”

His bodyguards lowered their weapons and when Olive nodded, Mike did the same.

“Forgive me.”, Damian asked and slowly let go of her hands, but he had led them away from the box again, “But you should only touch the staff if you are ready to feel its might. You should know, its power lies in the runes and is activated upon touching it. You should be ready for this.”

“Thanks.”, Olive said and went in to close the deal, wanted him to say the words that he had just sold her a dangerous weapon so they could wrap this undercover mission up when Mike whispered into her ear: “Company.”

Olive looked around, listening, then turned to Damian: “You didn’t offer this to someone else?”

“No, love.”, he said, seemingly honestly surprised, “I’d never betray you like that.”

Yeah, sure, whatever.

Olive’s gun was quickly in her hand and she told him: “Get ready.”

Damian was not armed, apparently, but she had no time to dwell on it as a group stormed the barn. And what a group. They were armed with axes, branches… apparently anything they had happened to find. What they had not found for the last couple of weeks, apparently, had been showers and washing machines, for they all looked like crazed barbarians in dirt-smeared hoodies and baggy pants.

“What the hell?”, Mike mumbled, unsure whether to shoot or not. He settled then for knocking the butt of his rifle against the temple of the first idiot to attack him, as did Olive. She had lost count of the group, this mysterious third party and in the commotion she lost track of Damian. That much could have still been salvaged… but then it all went right to hell.

“Lady Olive!”, a loud voice boomed so that she thought the barn was shaking as Thor stormed in, Mjöllnir held high and knocking out hoodie-barbarians left, right and centre, along with Damian’s two thugs. Both Mike and Olive grabbed their tranquiliser guns and knocked out the two marksmen on the upper floor.

Within seconds the skirmish had been beaten down and only her tactics team stood there, bewildered… and there was no sign of Damian…or the staff.

“What the bleeding hell?!”, Olive screamed and kicked away a branch one of the barbarians had been swinging at her head. She rushed over to Thor, staring him down even though he was a full head’s length taller than her, then she snarled: “What were you thinking?”

“That you were in need of rescue?”

“Oh yeah?”, she hissed, “And you took my entire team with you? When? Before or after Damian stopped me from touching the weapon?”

They had been here too fast to have rushed over just when that third party appeared.

“Before.”, Thor answered her question and she snarled, “Why? I was about to close the deal!”

“You were about to get hurt.”, Thor insisted, but she shook her head, “I can’t believe you. We had everything under control!”

“Well…”, Mike mumbled, but one look from her and her brother raised his hands in defence, then slunk off and tried to vanish amongst his team mates.

“You were in danger.”, Thor sternly said, but Olive scoffed, “Do you have any idea what you have just done?”

“I saved you.”, Thor said and she spat, “You ruined the work of months! We were this close to finally getting the bastard behind bars. And now? He’s gone! Even worse, he knows I am not who I told him I was, so he knows I am undercover. Or I was, my cover is blown wide open now. Thanks to you.”

“I did not mean to compromise your efforts.”, Thor told her, but Olive laughed in his face, “Compromise? Compromise my ass. My ruined all my efforts.”

He was silent at this, so she rounded on her team: “This will have consequences.”

“Ma’am…”, one of them was stupid enough to begin some sort of defence or apology, idiot, but Mike stopped him. For his own good.

“Get the prisoners.”, Olive ordered them and her team made quick work of them. All in all they had gotten five of Damian’s men and eight idiots. At least she could hope that the thugs would know something about his whereabouts. Yeah, fat chance.

“Back to the Quinjet!”, Olive ordered when they had finished up and she stomped out of the barn. But, of course, Thor was hot on her heels and easily caught up to her. Then he was even daft enough to speak to her: “Lady Olive…”

“Save it.”, she hissed, “I don’t wanna hear a word come out of your mouth.”

They had almost reached the Quinjet in her unforgiving march of rage when Thor reached for her arm, but apparently he had learned, for he did not stop her like that. No, instead he blocker her way into the jet.

“Five seconds.”, she snarled, “Go.”

When he just frowned in absolute lack of understanding, Olive barked: “Get in the Jet and wait for us.”

The entire team followed her order and she walked a few steps away with Thor following her, then she turned around and demanded angrily: “Tell me your reasons in five seconds.”

At first he looked surprised, but then he told her in serious concern: “That was a Berserker Staff.”

“What now?”, she asked, then added, “Two seconds.”

“It channels its bearer’s rage and empowers them with amplified rage.”, he began and Olive frowned. He had her attention. Thor gave her a small smile, then explained: “They were used millennia ago when Asgard still had need of vast armies. Thankfully, these times are gone, but some of the staffs remain. I cannot fathom how it made its way to Midgard, but it is dangerous, no matter who touches it. Especially… if the bearer is already angry.”

Now her eyes narrowed as she understood. He thought she could not handle it.

“Listen up.”, she muttered, her voice cold, “Nice intel, but no reason to bust my undercover work. This has now become a recovery mission, we have to find Damian. Get me that staff.”

“You should not…”, he began, but Olive cut him off, “Use it? What do you take me for, an idiot? If it’s really that dangerous, it needs to be destroyed. End of story. But for that we need it. And as you stopped the deal from ever happening, this is your problem now as well as mine.”

“I did not…”, Thor muttered, but then left it at that and nodded, “I swear, we will obtain the staff and keep Midgard save from its power.”

“Whatever.”, Olive muttered and made her way to the jet, boarding and ordering her pilot, “Get us in the air and back to base.”

“You got it.”, was her reply and she buckled in, not willing to hear anything at all. Apparently even Thor had caught onto that, because he did not even try to talk to her. However, Olive felt the concerned glances Mike threw her way, but she ignored him as well. She had lost the work of months… she felt helpless and she hated it, every second of it. But it was reality, no use crying over spilt milk, so she studied the thugs and idiots, trying to discern who they were and how she would crack them in interrogation later. She reckoned that the idiots would be easily broken, but the thugs would pose a problem. All the better, it would be a challenge and as she could not hit them during an interrogation, she would have lots of pent-up aggression to vent on Mike during training. Sounded like a plan.

The next few days in Olive’s life went, surprisingly, absolutely according to plan. She loved and hated interrogations, as they always posed a challenge, made life difficult, but also gave her so much to learn and an opportunity to vent her anger. What the interrogations did not get rid of, Mike had to endure in training. On the third day, he hobbled away afterwards and whined: “Boy, I do hope you crack those idiots soon. I can’t take this any longer.”

“Cry baby.”, Olive shot at him and he glared at her for it, but then smiled and left for the showers. It had always been like that and Olive loved her brother for simply being her punching bag, never doubting, never really complaining. But she knew perfectly well that it was unfair.

After she had gotten herself depressed once again with that thought, knowing that she should turn her life around but unsure how to do it, she went back into interrogation. She wanted another word with Damian’s number one body guard, the one he had had carry the staff. Olive had figured that Damian would have only given that staff to someone he trusted, someone he thought would not touch it out of curiosity as most of his thugs would probably have done. So that guy had to be special.

When she had almost reached the containment facility, she ran into Thor. At first she grimaced, realised that it was too late to avoid him as he had already spotted her – and that oaf was smiling! - but then she called out to him: “Come with me into interrogation.”

“May I ask why?”, he enquired, but Olive shrugged, pleased that he was following her nonetheless, so she decided to at least throw him a bone, “I just had an idea. Don’t talk, don’t do anything, just stand there and look menacing.”

“I can accomplish that.”, he jested and for a split-second, Olive was tempted to grin. He could be funny… but then she had, luckily, already reached the door to the interrogation room and simply barged in. She had had the thug kept here for three hours now and she was pleased to see he had gotten a bit jumpy during that time. But he did not talk to her, he kept silent as he had before.

He did, however, glance at Thor and that one moment told her he knew who Thor was. And that the staff was connected to him simply through their shared Asgardian ancestry. Brilliant.

“Evening, Mr. Mills.”, Olive said and then sat down across from him, “Ready to talk now?”

He simply stared at her, pointedly, then looked away. But even though he kept his eyes on the ground, she knew that he was still able to glance at Thor, so his presence unnerved him. Good.

“Alright, we don’t need you anyway.”, Olive then stated and he glanced at her, just for a second, but it was enough to tell her he had doubts. He was just about to…

“Why?”, Mr. Mills asked and Olive had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing out loud. She had cracked him.

“How much do you know about mythology?”, Olive asked him casually and when he looked at her, she specified, “Norse mythology, that is.”

He did not say anything, but his eyes spoke volumes. He knew what the staff was. “You see, Heimdall, the guard of the Rainbow Bridge, Bifröst, he can see everything, hear the world turn, see the grass grow.”, Olive recited something she had read in a book years ago, now silently doubting whether it was really true, “So a staff should not be a problem. We can find it without your help.”

“Good luck.”, Mr. Mills told her with a smug grin, but Olive showed him one of her own as she added, “Oh, the staff isn’t the problem. It’s like a beacon leading directly to the one carrying it.”

His eyes shifted, just for the tiniest fraction of a second, just for a little bit, but it was all Olive needed. He cared about Damian, somehow, so she knew the chink in his armour now.

“Guess Damian didn’t know the Berserker Staffs’ history.”, Olive then mused and glanced at Thor, “He’ll never know what hit him.”

“Certainly not.”, Thor confirmed, “Our warriors are swift and unforgiving in their retaliation.”

For a moment Olive was angry that he had not done as she had instructed him, but then she was impressed. He had caught on to her plan.

She heard Mr. Mills across from her gulp and she casually said to Thor: “You know, it is unfair. Yeah, he’s a bastard, but how on Earth could he have known that being found with a Berserker Staff is punishable by such a gruesome death?”

“Unfair?”, Thor scoffed, “He endangered the whole of Midgard with the possession of this staff. He, and everyone who knew about it, has to be punished.”

At this she saw the thug wince, but she ignored it.

“Alright.”, she then sighed, “Let’s see if Heimdall has already found the staff and Damian.”

With this she nodded at Thor and they left the room, but as expected, Mr. Mills called her back: “Wait.”

“Go on, I got this.”, Olive said, but Thor objected, “He is dangerous, Milady. I will not leave you here with him.”

She thought of a way to tell him that he should cut it, stop playing this role… when Olive realised he was serious about this. She could not believe it, but then she glared at him and he growled, but did as she had silently asked. However, as she closed the door, she heard him say: “I will come to your aid if need be.”

“Of course.”, Olive nodded with a smile she had to fake, then she turned back to the prisoner, “What do you want?”

“A deal.”, he said and she scoffed, “Forget it.”

With this she made him believe that she would exit the room, just to make him a tad more desperate, and he called out: “Not for me! For Damian.”

“Beg your pardon?”, Olive asked, even though she had expected him to care for his boss. But not to plead for him.

“Spare him.”, he said, “Spare him, save him from the Asgardian punishment. If you do that, I will tell you where to look for him.”

“Why?”, Olive asked and he glared at her, “None of your concern.”

She shrugged and replied: “We don’t need you to find his location.”

Again she acted as if she was about to leave and her prisoner told her: “But you will need my codes to get into the base undetected, to deactivate the security system. Basically to get in alive.”

“We can work with that.”, Olive said and a few minutes later, she had the exact coordinates, the codes and a plan of the base. With this, she went back to the conference room and smiled when she saw her team, Tony and Thor gathered there: “I got the location.”

“How?”, Tony asked, “Flashing your privates?”

“Hey!”, Mike growled at him, but he grinned and Olive stated, “No, but by telling a lie.”

“Women…”, Tony joked and then took a look at what she had gathered, whistling through his teeth before he asked, “How sure are you that this is true?”

“Absolutely.”, she nodded, “But I think we should not go in blind. Run some scans, maybe a probe. And I should go in alone.”

“No way.”, Mike said just when Thor boomed, “Certainly not, Milady.”

“Can it, boys.”, Olive huffed, “We can’t go in guns a-blazing.”

“Maybe we should.”, Mike shrugged and she frowned, but then Thor chimed in, “This Damian knows you.”

“And thanks to you, he also knows I ain’t Simone.”, Olive shot at him to which he nodded, “Even more reason for you not to go in at all, let alone on your own.”

She scoffed and replied: “What’s your suggestion? You can’t go in either, Prince of Asgard.”

“A two men team.”, Tony suggested, “Or man and woman if you’d like. How about you and this lovely fella?”

“Thanks.”, Mike mumbled, but then nodded, “We could go in together. Just sneak in, get the staff, get out. Quick in, quick out.”

“Just like I like it.”, Tony smirked and Olive shot at him before she could think it over, “You can’t get more.”

“Hey now, Missy, don’t insult my manhood. Not before you’ve had a taste. Literally.”

“Stop it. Now.”, Mike growled at him for it, but Tony merely laughed…and Thor looked a bit confused. Figured.

“So a two men team it is.”, Olive nodded, but Tony smirked, “One man and one woman. Sadly, it’s not gonna be me.”

“I’m warning you.”, Mike muttered, but Tony ignored him. He could not, however, ignore Thor: “No.”

“What do you mean, no?”, Olive huffed and he firmly stated, “I acknowledge that I cannot go in with you, but I will accompany you and come to your aid if you need me.”

Olive glared at him for it and was just forming an elaborate string of profanities to throw at him… when Mike said: “Thanks. That’s reassuring and a really good idea.”

WHAT?!

Olive rounded on her brother for that, but Thor’s confident and seemingly happy voice stopped her: “It is settled then. When do we leave?”

He even touched Olive’s shoulder in a firm grip and she took a deep breath, then hissed: “As soon as possible.”

“Suit up then.”, Tony nodded at her and with a growl, Olive tore away from Thor’s grip, leaving him confused, but Mike ran after her, chuckling.

“Shut up.”, she hissed, only making him chuckle even louder before he said, “You have to admit, it is kinda funny.”

“Yeah?”, she asked, “I don’t see how.”

“Because you don’t look at it straight.”, Mike said, suddenly serious and Olive stopped dead in her tracks.

“Sis…”, he began, but she stopped him with a harsh gesture, “Can it. Thor’s insufferable and…”

He was grinning again and when Olive glared at him, Mike smirked: “Hearing you rant about him, one could think you’ve got a crush on him.”

“Shut up.”, she muttered and left. But she had to admit… her pesky brother was on to something. She was not desperately lusting after him, lying awake all night… but her biggest problem with Thor was that there was not really a problem. Apart from the problems she always had with anyone being close to her…

“Stop that nonsense. Now.”, Olive muttered to herself and suited up, eager to finally get Damian behind bars… even if that meant spending another mission with Thor.

In record time Olive was ready and boarded the Quinjet… only to be face to face with Thor. And no one else present.

And dammit… Mike had been right. She had a crush on him.

“Ready, Milady?”, Thor asked and she cleared her throat, then nodded, “Can’t wait to finally put Damian behind bars.”

“I thought the mission was to get the staff.”, Thor asked and Olive stared at him, then muttered, “I worked months to bust that idiot. I’m not gonna give up now.”

“But…”, Thor objected, however, Olive was spared the rest of the discussion when Mike and the rest of the tactics team boarded the jet. Her brother looked at her and then grinned smugly and meaningfully glanced at Thor, but when she narrowed her eyes at him, he winked at her, then sat down and Olive barked at the pilot: “Get our asses in the air!”

She glanced back at her, but kept her mouth shut. Gail had always known when it was better not to speak and Olive liked her for that.

Huffing, she buckled in and waited, eager to get this night over and done with.

Throughout the flight, she felt Thor’s eyes on her, as if he was gauging whether or not she would be able to pull this mission off. Who did he think he was?

Olive felt anger bubbling up in her, but kept it under control, focused it and directed it at Damian. She would bring him down.

When they had landed, all Olive wanted to do was run into Damian’s facility and tear that bastard apart, but she stopped herself and addressed her team: “You all know the plans we were given. Take them with a pinch of salt, we don’t know exactly how it looks in there. If all goes according to plan, only Mike and I will go in there. Our comms will be on, you’ll hear it if we should need backup. Then and only then do you come in. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”, her whole team said in unison, but her gaze was on Thor and he took a deep breath, but then he said: “At the first sign of you being in trouble, I will come to your aid.”

“You’re incorrigible.”, Olive muttered and he flashed her a grin that admittedly made her heart beat faster, but then she turned around and left the jet, Mike on her heels. Together they made their way to the door Mr. Mills had told them about and even though Olive saw the smug grin on her brother’s face, he at least did not talk.

When they reached the keypad next to the door, Olive mumbled: “Let’s see what our new friend’s intel is worth.”

She punched in the code and the door in fact unlocked.

“Open sesame.”, she whispered, pleasantly surprised and then opened the door, listening for an alarm, but hearing nothing. Mike, however, muttered cynically: “Let’s hope it wasn’t a silent alarm.”

“Oh ye of little faith.”, Olive smiled and Mike scoffed, “Look who’s talking.”

Then they both fell silent again and made their way through the facility. On their way, Mr. Mills’ information proved to be solid gold. Every turning, every alarm, every keypad and every stationed guard was exactly where he had told them they would be, every code was correct.

“Huh.”, Mike mumbled after he had knocked another guard unconscious, “He really did not lie to us.”

“Why would he?”, Olive replied, “I think…maybe he loves Damian.”

“What?”, Mike snorted, “Who’d be able to love that bastard?”

“Beats me.”, she replied and together they hid the unconscious guard, then proceeded deeper into the belly of the facility. They should be close to location of the staff, Damian’s private quarters.

“This is it.”, Olive whispered as she found the door to Damian’s refuge. Mike and her exchanged a glance, then she punched in the code they had been given and the door unlocked, so she pushed it open and they both slid inside. Olive then quickly grabbed her icer and silently advanced into the semi-dark and utterly still quarters, Mike next to her. They made their way through the hall, past a very impressive bathroom and into a living room twice the size of Olive’s entire apartment.

“Bastard.”, she muttered under her breath, but then Mike drew her attention to the sideboard. There it was, the box they had seen before, the one with the staff.

Another exchanged glance and Olive’s weapon was given to Mike who protectively watched the room while she pried open the box. Again she only saw wooden chips at first, but then she spotted the staff amidst them.

“Here goes nothing.”, Olive muttered as she plunged her gloved hands in and touched the staff. Nothing.

With a sigh, she admitted that Thor’s information had been valid, touching the staff with gloves did not do anything.

“Okay, go.”, Olive mumbled to her brother, just when the door to their right was opened. Apparently it was the bedroom, for Damian entered the living room in nothing but an open silk robe. For a second, he stared at them, then he dashed back into the room.

“Go!”, Olive ordered her brother and he was after Damian in a split second… but it was a split second too late. The shrill siren of the alarm he had just set off blared all around them and at first glance Olive did not see any possibility to turn it off.

“Let’s get out.”, she said and they ran, but Olive took the time to speak into her comm, “We’re fine, don’t engage. You hear me, Thor, do not engage now!”

She just hoped he would pay attention.

Trying for both speed and silence, Mike and Olive made their way back, not meeting anyone. She could not believe it, but all that separated them from getting away home free was two steel doors and a hall… and the hall proved to be their problem.

Within a few seconds, they were surrounded.

“Oh snap.”, Mike mumbled, but then fired both icer guns in such fast succession Olive had trouble keeping up. He felled an impressive number of Damian’s men, but they both knew there were too many.

“Guys, now’d be a good time to engage. East corner entrance.”, Olive muttered into her comm, fending off thugs with the staff, but she soon realised that she was too weak… and her team was too far away.

She heard a bullet being fired and with horror realised that it had not been Mike who had fired, she learned that when he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, gasping for breath and bleeding.

“Mike!”, she screamed, could not help it… but then knew what to do.

“I have to.”, she mumbled for the rest of the team to know, “Stay away.”

Olive then dropped the staff, ripped off her gloves and then ducked under a punch, kicked the guy away from her and grabbed the staff with her bare hands.

Pain shot through her and with a stupid grin that was half grimace she thought that being struck by lightning had to feel a lot like that.

Then there were the images… her schoolbag yanked from her shoulders, punches hitting her in the jaw, the stomach, her sides… her dress torn, her shoes chucked into the river… the friends she had made after years of being pushed around …the friends who then found someone cooler than her and after the holidays were the ones to tear her dress, dump her books into the river… no one there but herself, a weak and helpless little girl…

With a scream of rage she could no longer contain, Olive spun around and struck the first person she saw. All the movements were a blur, she hardly knew where she ended and where the staff began, but she felt each impact it made on a foe, she relished the power and the sounds of falling bodies and broken bones sang to her the sweetest of melodies.

“Lady Olive!”, someone shouted at her and she saw lightning fell the last of her foes. Someone had robbed her of her revenge!

Snarling, she ran at the figure, but then she darted off to the side and drove the head of the staff against another foes head. It was the last one.

“Lady Olive.”, the same someone said and she growled, but then dropped the staff.

And just like that, the images were gone and even though the rage was still there, it was again what it was for her now, a memory, something that had made her the person she was, but did not control her. Never.

“Mike.”, she weakly mumbled and went over to him, but she stumbled. Strong arms the size of her thighs caught her fall and Thor told her: “He is taken care of by your companions. He will live.”

Olive pushed him away and stumblingly made her way over to her brother who coughed and mumbled: “Sorry I wasn’t of much help.”

“Shut up.”, Olive muttered, but she saw that he was quite alright for having been shot, so she collected her gloves and then took the staff once again. Or she tried, but Thor blocked her way.

“You should not take it again.”, he said, but Olive scoffed, “I have gloves, see? Moreover, I have knocked out just about everyone in here and I managed to drop the damn thing afterwards. So don’t lecture me.”

With that she stepped past him, or tried to, but he once again blocked her way. Olive was getting angry, but she snapped over her shoulder: “Someone get Damian from his private quarters!”

“Yes, ma’am.”, she heard someone say and then she turned her attention back towards Thor, staring at him and hissing, “What?!”

“You… were in control.”, he slowly said, “Despite having touched the staff.”

“Lecture me after I’ve had a shower, some dinner and a shot of whiskey, alright?”, Olive barked and wanted to sidestep him again, but he did not allow her to.

“Stop that this instant.”, she growled, but he mumbled in genuine astonishment, “How did you control your rage?”

“I know my dark sides!”, Olive shouted at him, actually making him wince, but she had had enough, she simply did not care anymore, “I know them, I accepted them, I use them.”

He frowned and, figuring that it was too late now anyway, Olive sighed deeply and then whispered: “What the staff showed me was nothing new. I see it every day. It has made me who I am.”

She hung her head as she had not planned to say all that, but now it was really too late.

“You are astonishing.”, Thor told her and her head snapped up, only to find him smiling down at her, “You controlled your rage and thereby did something most Asgardians would not have accomplished.”

It surprised her, but then it quickly also fanned her anger and Olive muttered: “And still you’re in my way, even though you know I’m capable, you said so yourself.”

“I do not mean to be in your way.”, Thor began, but Olive interrupted him, “Yet you are. Literally.”

“I mean to protect you.”, Thor then stated and took her by surprise, which was the only reason he got the time to continue, “You are a trusted friend, Lady Olive, an ally I know I can count on in battle.”

He had her speechless at that, but he even did her one better as he added with a smile: “But I do not want to lose you. So I try to protect you as best I can. However, I did not mean to be in your way.”

Olive gulped, but then grumbled: “And yet, still you are, still even literally. But as you have oh so noble intentions and it would be misbecoming to snap at you for that, can we at least agree to disagree?”

“This we can.”, Thor chuckled, “But it will not stop me from trying to protect you.”

“Why do you have to be such a stubborn oaf?!”, Olive groaned, but it only made him boom with laughter before he replied, “I am not stubborn, I am determined.”

“And cheeky.”, Olive shot at him, once again making him grin, so she scoffed and then suggested, “Alright, let’s just agree that I will not get in your way if you won’t get in mine.”

“I doubt you will get in my way.”, Thor mused, “You are much smaller than I am.”

“Oh, shut up!”, Olive groaned and he laughed again, but she ignored him and instead joined her team packing up the prisoners…well, those that were alive, she had killed a few. But she tried not to dwell on it.

Half an hour later, they were on the Quinjet, the staff secured, her team well and tightly packed together with Damian and his men, on their way back to HQ. When they had finally arrived, all Olive wanted was some dinner, a shower and a shot of whiskey, but when she was the last one to leave the Quinjet, directly behind Thor and he then offered his hand to help her out, she ignored it, but whimsically thought that she could also do with having him over for the night if he was game.

“Thor!”, just then a call for him rang through the hangar and they both winced, but then he laughed and ran towards the woman, totally ignoring Olive. Of course, that was Jane… and he had not seen her in months due to their missions.

Olive heard their laughter, knew that they were in a tight embrace by now and possibly kissing, but she did not need to see this. Instead, she left the hangar and opted for a shower, but then she would skip dinner and go straight to a bottle of whiskey.


End file.
